INDIANAPOLIS — Sacramento State's men's basketball and men's cross country programs both received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for having Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores that rank among the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sports for the four-year period ending in 2015-16.

The Hornet men's cross country team earned the award for the sixth consecutive year and the seventh time overall. For men's basketball, it marked the program's first Public Recognition Award.

The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 984 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport, and cross country finished with 1,000 while men's basketball scored a 995.

Sacramento State is the only public school in California, and the only school in the Big Sky Conference to ever receive the Public Recognition Award in men's basketball. In addition, the Hornets are one of only five schools in California to receive the award in men's basketball (Stanford, Pacific, Loyola Marymount and San Diego are the others).

Sacramento State has now seen 19 teams honored by the NCAA since the start of the APR in 2004-05. At least one Hornet squad has received a Public Recognition Award each of the last 10 years.

APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. It measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport. The most recent multiyear rates are based on the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.

Today's announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports.